- A report has revealed that the PC platform dominates the gaming industry.
- The PC market is bigger than all consoles combined in terms of players as well as revenue.
- The platform has generated a revenue of $45 billion, which is $15 billion more than the console market.
PC gaming is often considered the pinnacle of the industry. With various benefits on its side, this platform attracts a large audience, outnumbering the millions that are part of console ecosystems.
Developers like Naoki Yoshida believe consoles don’t have much time left, but the same cannot be said for PCs. Due to the platform’s uses beyond gaming, this market is bigger than all consoles combined.
Why it matters: Console gaming uses exclusivity to lure players into various ecosystems, but the freedom of PC gaming remains unmatched.
A new report has been published recently that consists of gaming revenue from 1970 to 2022. Over 50 years of revenue have been summed up in the report, revealing that the PC platform completely dominates the industry.
Until 2022, the PC market had generated a total revenue of $45 billion, which eclipses the total console revenue in a similar timeframe. All consoles combined have made $30 billion in revenue in 50 years.
Therefore, there is a difference of a whopping $15 billion, which explains the standing of PCs in the market. Steam is the largest modern platform on PC that has contributed to the overall revenue.
The storefront was launched in 2003 by Valve, and it became the fan-favorite platform on PC. With over 120 million active players, Steam is estimated to have generated over $8.6 billion in revenue.
On the other hand, mobile gaming alone generated $101 billion, highlighting why companies like PlayStation and Xbox are so keen on pursuing the market.
Going by past information, it is quite likely that if a game is released on multiple platforms, most players would buy it on PC. Recently, Phantom Liberty was released on consoles and PCs, and 68% of the overall players were from the PC.
Furthermore, Steam is expanding at a tremendous rate, and the Steam Deck has become a fan-favorite handheld. The handheld supports over 9000 games, making it an entry-level option for PC gaming.
We think PC gaming is unlikely to slow down anytime soon. While consoles continue to be a formidable force, the former offers too much diversity and freedom to be rivaled by the limited nature of PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo.
In 2023, Steam boasted incredible numbers. It reached 32 million concurrent players, showing that PC gaming is in a better place than before. Still, both platforms fall behind mobile gaming, failing to rival this segment of the industry, even when combined together.
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[News Editor]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over three years because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.
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